Sunday, 5 October 2014

Strada - Terminal 3, Heathrow Airport

Many places in Terminal 3 seemed really expensive but Strada were offering the most complete cooked breakfast at a fairly reasonable price.

There were plenty of space inside and it felt quite relaxed.

I wanted the biggest breakfast on the menu before boarding the flight so the Grande Colazione was the one for me.

The cutlery was tiny as it always is in airports, it would be chopsticks for a fortnight at the other end of the flight though!

Proper butter and sauces for two people was a nice touch as we usually have to share a tiny pot which is never enough.

£2.45 for a very small cappuccino that didn't stay hot for very long at all and was gone in a few sips.

I was quite happy when the breakfast arrived, it was bigger than I was expecting and contained a good selection of items.

The toast had popped up slightly before time but the bean juice would soon be covering it so not really a problem.

Crispy hash browns and half decent sausages were a welcome sight before the flight.

The smallest portion of beans I had ever been served and eggs with a glaze of uncooked egg white over the yolks caused initial concern.

My wife as always chose the veggie option, she said it was a very satisfying breakfast and a good size too.

As airport breakfasts go we were quite impressed with Strada and they were the only chain in Terminal 3 offering a breakfast with toast at under £10.

Having checked in and passed security we had plenty of time to look around the shops, first things first though, time for breakfast! We studied the menu of all the chains offering breakfast and most seemed to be charging a lot of money for not much breakfast. Strada were offering a fairer deal though so we headed inside..

Upon entering - The seating area was vast and spacious with a selection of different sized tables in a modern and relaxed environment. There was a menu already on the table along with cutlery, sugar, salt and pepper. Sauces are offered as the food arrives and come in small pots, a pot per person was a relief though as sharing a pot is never enough. There is full table service and you simply request the bill at the end or pay at the till if you are in a hurry. 8/10

Service - Swift and efficient service was what we encountered here, the staff were friendly and aware that the customers all had somewhere they were needing to be. We were shown to a table and within a few minutes asked if we were ready to order. Drinks arrived first followed by the food which we only waited about ten minutes for. We were offered sauces, asked if everything was ok and given the bill swiftly after asking. This is just the kind of service you need when you have other parts of the departure lounge you want to explore before your flight, good work Strada! 9/10

Presentation - The long rectangular plate was a first for me and I quite liked it. Everything was placed quite nicely onto it and the beans were in a pot, but so few I could have counted them! Everything looked nice enough but the toast and top of the egg yolks would have benefited from a tad more heat before heading to the plate. 7/10

The food - The sausages were a decent enough quality Cumberland variety with a fairly firm texture, the bacon was nice enough but fans of crispiness may well despair. The black pudding was a standard slice, the hash browns crispy and the mushrooms excellent. The fried eggs caused concern when I first cast my eye on them, looking underdone on top, thankfully it was just a fine surface of uncooked egg white which didn't cause any havoc on the plate. The toast was slightly underdone but the real butter ensured it tasted great. The tomatoes tasted amazing and were piping hot. This was certainly a filling and enjoyable breakfast that felt like it hit the spot quite nicely. 7/10

Value for money - Spending £10 on a breakfast in an airport is quite normal and the fact this one included toast and was the large option made it feel better value for money. £2.40 spent on a tiny cappuccino was not such a wise move though. 7/10

Overall - One of the better airport breakfasts I have encountered and good to find a place that isn't charging extra for essential items like toast. The restaurant is a nice relaxing place to enjoy a final breakfast before boarding your flight and the staff will ensure you won't be hanging around unnecessarily. I feel sure that vegetarians would appreciate some beans too but it seems they are only available on the large meat option, the Grande Colazione. Definitely worth visiting if you are looking for a fairly decent breakfast in Terminal 3, I would happily return again. 8/10

4 comments:

I've had the Strada breakfast before and like you I was pleasantly surprised, the tiny portion of beans is funny though, considering it must be the cheapest item on the plate! The black pudding was my only let down, as with Little Chef, those commercial slices do nothing for me.